I'm with Giraffe. Although, at a push I'd rather haev 1 teacher. My sister has just broken her heart over this one...
At my last school, the YR and Y1 teachers ran it as a three room 'unit', where the children circulated for lit, num and play... (I think that was how they did it, anyway...)

- either a large class of 36 - 40 children (all in the one room), but with 2 teachers and a TA

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So why not two classes of 20 with a teacher each?

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Och, I wish, airy. Basically the situation is that my daughter has been turned down for a P1 place at our chosen (out of catchment) primary school, despite her big sister already being there.
The school is very popular and oversubscribed. They are going to do option 1 as outlined above, and have the large class with 2 teachers and a TA. It's the only way they can offer all the catchment kids a place. There may be a couple of spaces left over for those with siblings at the school.
I will appeal, as tartette has done really well at the wee nursery there (most primary schools in Scotland have a pre-school attached) and has some good friends. Mr Tarte isn't at all keen on this big class option and would sooner look at other options.
The school itself is pretty small and the Victorian building, which is already at full capacity, simply cannot accommodate an extra classroom. There just isn't the space. There is however one roomy classroom that can hold 40 children...
So that was my reason for asking, folks. I thought that you might reason that the extra teacher and TA would compensate for having such a big P1 class.
I too had my doubts!
Thanks for the food for thought. I knew it would be good to run this by you.

A maximum class size of 23 in classes consisting wholly or partly of children in their first year of infant education.
A maximum class size of 20 in respect of nursery classes which should be staffed on the basis of 2 adults (one qualified teacher and one nursery nurse) per 20 children.

I know just the kind of building you mean - I probably went to school in a building just like it. I would think about the school overall, the relationship between the teachers who will be teaching it and how they plan to run the classroom. If it's done well, the improved teacher/pupil ratio should make a difference but if done badly kids will get lost in the crowd. Sorry - that's not much help.

I'm assuming you're talking about a P1 class in Scotland in which case the class size maxima is 25 - and that is statutory:
(c)after paragraph (4) insert&mdash;&ldquo;(5) In respect of the school year beginning in 2011 and each subsequent school year, in relation to a Primary 1 class, the limit on the number of pupils imposed in paragraphs (1) and (2) shall be 25.&rdquo;. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2010/326/made?view=plain
I've heard the 36-40:2 mooted but, in my opinion, it's lunacy.
But then there's a lot of lunacy being put about in Scottish education at the moment.